An Alleged thief in Tanauan Batangas was publicly humiliated.
He was paraded in the street with handcuffs while carrying a placard hanging from his neck. It is written on the placard the phrase “do not do what I did”
This act was condemned by the Commission on Human Rights (CHR).
The man allegedly stole an electrical cable worth 3,000 pesos from one of the companies inside the First Philippine Industrial Park.
The act of publicly humiliating the arrested suspect by publicly parading him was allegedly ordered by Tanauan City Mayor Antonio Halili.
Mayor Antonio Halili said that there is a lot of thief in his City and instead of the City being disgraced, it is better for the arrested thief will be the one to be disgraced so others, as well as the arrested suspect, will unlikely commit this crime again.
The arrested suspect refused to give a statement when interviewed, he said that he is afraid for his security and of his family.
The suspect said that it is not true that he stole the electrical cable. He was disgraced and embarrassed by what the Mayor forced him to do.
This is not the first time that Tanauan Mayor Antonio Halili forced a suspect to be publicly humiliated in public.
In 2014, Mayor Halili also forced a thief of dried fish in a market to be paraded in the streets.
The Commission on Human Rights ordered that an investigation of the incident be made as soon as possible.
Atty. Banuar Falcon, OIC of the Commission on Human Rights Media Office said that those who forced the suspect to be paraded may think that they are not causing the suspect any harm but the truth is they are already pre-judging the case against the suspect.
The Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) is also investigating the case.
Rene Brion, DILG Regional Director for Region IV-A said that the DILG will never condone any acts of public humiliation of a suspected criminal. He said that the act of publicly humiliating a suspect is against the law.